


Book 1: Zuko the Dragon of Dusk

by serenawitchwriter



Series: Zukrew vs the World [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Airbending & Airbenders, Alchemy, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, BAMF Edward Elric, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Blue Spirit Zuko (Avatar), Chaos, Chi Blocking, Crossover, Earthbending & Earthbenders, Edward Elric Is A Little Shit, Firebending & Firebenders, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Kyoshi Island, Martial Arts, Protective Edward Elric, Protective Iroh (Avatar), Protective Midoriya Izuku, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Smart Midoriya Izuku, Spirit World, Spirits, Swords, The Gaang is confused, Vigilante Midoriya Izuku, Vigilantism, Waterbending & Waterbenders, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28900161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenawitchwriter/pseuds/serenawitchwriter
Summary: Prince Zuko summons the spirit of truth and the spirit of cunning to help aide his search for the avatar and instead...gets two messy teenagers from two different worlds who know less about the avatar than he does. still the only way for Edward Elric and Midoriya Izuku to return home is to help Zuko end the war and restore balance to his world.Unfortunately for Zuko, he happened to have been given two of the most stubborn people possible and they aren't about to let him and his nation commit genocide quietly. They're not particularly interested in letting him return to his abusive father either.Now set on a chaotic journey to end the war, help the avatar, fight his sister, drink tea, and commit vigilante justice... well it's going to be long couple of years
Series: Zukrew vs the World [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119509
Comments: 23
Kudos: 167
Collections: Clever Crossovers & Fantastic Fusions





	Book 1: Zuko the Dragon of Dusk

When Izuku was nine he met a spirit.

He hadn’t known it was a spirit of course, he assumed it was just a man with a quirk like so many other people. The spirit had black fur, elongated limbs, and the face and tail of a coyote. They dragged themselves out of the forest Izuku and his former friends played in and looked desperately thin and utterly exhausted, like they had traveled a long way.

Worried, Izuku went to the spirit and asked if it was okay. The spirit growled at him and stood defensively on its haunches. Izuku worried more. He offered the coyote spirit his water bottle and the onigiri he had in his backpack. He set it on the ground in front of the coyote and backed away.

After a moment, the beast lunged forward and ate the offered food and tore into the water with the desperation of a starving animal. Izuku gasped and backed away further but lingered anyway.

Finally when the coyote was done, it stood at its full intimidating height. At over six feet tall with black and silver fur, it turned luminous yellow eyes on Izuku and seemed to stare through him.

Then it laughed.

**“You have done me a kindness,”** the spirit said and fell back onto its front feet to start pacing a circle around Izuku. “ **Not everyone would call that wise, tiny human. Do you know what you’ve done? Do you know who I am?”**

Izuku drew into himself, increasingly anxious. “Uh, no? I’m sorry if I offended you or anything.” His first thought of course was that this was a villain. He turned his body so that he stayed facing the spirit, but also tried to back up as he moved.

The coyote grinned, all sharp teeth.  **“I am the one who threw the stars into the sky, I am the reason they move through the night, I am the reason the months have names. I am the one who taught the witches their spells. I am the coyote. Who are you, little human, to stand before me?”**

Izuku was trembling with fear and the coyote continued to circle him like a prey animal. He knew enough about villains to not give his name, but the coyote was clearly expecting an answer so he stuttered out, “N-n-no one im-important.”

The coyote tilted its head. “ **Is that right? Then no one would miss you?”** The coyote crept closer.

Izuku gulped. “No! No, my mother would miss me.”

“ **Then it would seem you’re important to someone,”** the coyote scoffed, shaking its head.  **“If you’re going to lie, then you’re going to have to do better than that.** ”

Izuku was starting to get dizzy from the circling, but the reminder that his mom was waiting for him did make him feel braver. “I wasn’t trying to lie,” he said earnestly. “Um, I’m sorry if I offended you. I-I was just trying to help.”

The coyote chuffed but stopped its pacing and drew up to its tall height again. “ **Help, he says,”** the coyote scoffed, in that dismissive tone adults often used when around Izuku.  **“Not trying to lie, he says. But humans always lie, little human. You are no different from the rest of them. And yet you claim to be sorry.”**

Izuku’s fear momentarily bled out of him and was replaced with irritation. As irrational as it was given the circumstances, the coyote villain was acting like the vast majority of adults in his life. Doubting him on principle, thinking the worst of him without listening or looking at the facts.

“I am sorry,” Izuku said firmly, “and I was trying to help.”

The coyote tilted it’s head back and its yellow eyes glinted in the light of the setting sun. It was time for Izuku to head home, but he knew he couldn’t outrun this beast. **“So the ‘no one important’ has bite after all. How curious.”**

The animal dropped back onto all fours and sniffed at him, suddenly much closer than he was before. Izuku tensed, trying to think fast, but he had nothing to fight with. Even his backpack was on the ground, five feet away. He had dropped it when he’d gone to feed the coyote.

“ **You smell like suffering,”** the coyote said, and its teeth were now very close to Izuku’s face. Izuku clenched his inexperienced fist. Even if he died here, he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The coyote tilted its head again, and this time its tongue lolled out the side of its mouth. “ **But you do not smell like prey.”** It sat down, looking unthreatening now and seemed almost pleased.

Izuku remained wary. “I’m not prey,” he said definitively.

**“No,”** the coyote said, tail wagging innocently. “ **But you want to help people. I happen to be in desperate need of help at the moment, and you seem like just the kind of human I need.”**

“What do you need help with?” Izuku asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion. Despite the sudden docile behaviour, he wouldn’t be letting his guard down.

“ **Ah, you see,”** the coyote sounded as though he were waiting for Izuku to ask. **“My world is out of balance. The other spirits are losing faith in the humans, and the humans are losing faith in us. But we need each other to survive. You see the problem, yes?”**

“Your world?” Izuku questioned.

**“The spirit world and the human world. Though, my human world and this human world are very far apart. I had to travel many lands to get to this human world. We need champions and well… the humans of that world have proven insufficient.”**

Izuku frowned, not really buying what he was saying. Some form of schizophrenia perhaps? Delusions as a side effect of starvation and isolation? “And you want me to be your champion?”

**“Yes,”** the coyote grinned. “ **Oh you are clever, I can tell. A survivor, too. I could even teach you magic if you like, though that will cost far more than some water and a rice ball.”**

“No, thanks,” Izuku said, bluntly. “I actually have to return home now. It was… interesting talking to you. But I wouldn’t be much of a champion.”

**“And why would you say that?”** As Izuku tried to move away and walk home, the coyote followed, trotting to walk at his side, even as Izuku tried to stay facing it.

“I’m quirkless,” Izuku said harshly, and it hurt to say. The coyote just lifted its eyebrow but didn’t seem concerned.

**“I see no reason why that should stop you,”** the coyote said, widening its eyes entreatingly. “ **In fact, that’s all the better. You don’t have the touch of other spirits on you. That means you would be my champion and mine alone.”**

“I’m nine.”

**“Nine year olds have done greater feats than this,”** the coyote argued. “ **All you have to do is pop in, find the avatar and restore balance to the world. Then you can return home a hero. You did say you wanted to help.”**

“I need to go home,” Izuku said firmly. He stopped walking. They were on the outskirts of the town, the road a few paces away.   
  


The coyote let out a whine as though Izuku had hurt its feelings. The coyote turned it’s head away almost ashamed but then the sun caught it’s yellow eyes again and it turned back eagerly.  **“But I still owe you, little human! How about a trade, a gift, if you will. You cannot be my champion right now, but the war has waited for a hundred years, it can wait a few years more.”**

Izuku took a step back. “What are you talking about?”

The coyote gave a full body wiggle, pleased with itself.  **“When you are at your lowest, when you want most desperately to escape, you** **_will_ ** **escape. Through me. You will be summoned to my land and no one here will be any the wiser. And when you come, you will help restore balance. Then you will return home, no questions asked.”**

Izuku felt something settle over him like a film. A cold black shadow. He shivered. The coyote had used his quirk. He blinked.

The spirit was gone.

Izuku swallowed thickly, worried about what just happened. He considered stopping by the police station, but he doubted anyone would believe him. He ended up returning home and nothing came from the event in the following weeks.

He never told anyone.

But he didn’t forget.

* * *

Five years later, All Might told Izuku he couldn’t be a hero, crushing his dreams.

Izuku had already had a bad day, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Izuku curled into himself, a numb cold pain settling deep into him, like All Might had hollowed him out and extinguished the small flame of hope that Izuku had protected so earnestly.

Not even the number one hero believed in him.

It was over. The one thing he cared about. The dream that he had fought for, had been burned and bruised for. It was impossible.

Izuku was falling apart inside, yet he didn’t cry.

Instead everything seemed to shut down. He couldn’t breathe. Shadows closed in on his vision. It hurt. It hurt so much to be alive, to be experiencing this. To be alone.

Everything went dark.

And then two luminous yellow eyes opened in the shadows.

**“You can run, little champion,”** a barely-remembered voice said. Izuku gasped, suddenly breathing again, harshly. The world came back into view but he wasn’t where he was before. Instead he stood at the edge of a scraggly forest. The trees had dead silver bark, no leaves, and barely any branches. Everything beyond the forest was a desert of black sand. The sky was an inky black apart from pale stars, too distant to be considered bright. A coyote stood in front of him.

“What?” Izuku whispered.

**“Our deal,”** the coyote said. “ **When you are at your lowest, when you want most desperately to escape, you** **_will_ ** **escape. Through me. You will be summoned to my land and no one here will be any the wiser. And when you come, you will help restore balance.”**

The words echoed through Izuku’s memory and he shivered again.

“But what could I possibly do to help?” Izuku asked in a broken voice. “I’m nothing.”

The coyote bared its teeth.  **“Still lying to me, little human? I have watched you, my chosen, and I assure you, you are plenty for me.”**

Izuku trembled.

“T-then--” Izuku asked rather desperately. “Then you believe I can be a hero?”

The coyote tilted its head, ever so predatory.  **“It is what I have chosen you for, little human.”**

Izuku burst into painful sobs, hope desperate and wild burst from his chest like a wild animal. Like a flame catching fire and ready to burn everything else away.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked, a new determination taking root within him.

The coyote grinned.

* * *

Edward Elric was fifteen and meeting Truth for the third time.

He’d been swallowed by a homunculus and had a very long, unpleasant day. The only way to escape he could think of was through the gate, so he did what he had to and got him, Ling and Envy out. But first he had to talk to this asshole again.

Truth sat in his blank expanse, Ed’s arm and leg attached to its body, but otherwise a blank expanse. More an impression of a human shape than a person. Ed often thought of them like a mirror, especially given how Al had described losing his body. The gate still stood at Ed’s back. He had a philosopher's stone in his clenched fist.

“ **Back again, alchemist?”** Truth's voice was mocking and grating. Ed felt sick with shame but was determined to press onward.

“Just passing through,” he scowled.

**“I noticed,”** Truth said. “ **You should tread more carefully. If you continue like this, you won’t have anything left to sacrifice.”**

Ed glanced away, guilt washing through him at the souls he’d just sacrificed. It was the only way, but that wasn’t an excuse.

“Ling and Envy?” he asked instead.

**“Both have passed through safely,”** Truth said.  **“As will you. But there’s the toll.”**

Several beings, vague faceless souls appeared behind it. Ed knew in his gut it was the souls they had sacrificed to pass through. They seemed more at peace than they had within Envy. Well, they weren’t screaming at least.

**“You sacrificed something that wasn’t yours to give,”** Truth said coldly. The souls vanished back through the gate that stood behind Ed. The blond hung his head, a bitterness growing in him.

“What do you want?” Ed spat, pained and desperate. He just wanted this to be over. He wanted to get back to Al and see his friends.

**“I don’t need to want, I have everything I need and nothing at all.”** Truth said, not reacting to Ed’s anger. “ **What matters more is what you want. And what you are willing to pay for it.”**

“Take anything,” Ed said, tired of this. “Just send me home.”

“ **You still haven’t learned,”** Truth said, but its tone said it hadn’t expected Ed to. It was neither surprised nor disappointed.  **“But you ask for little. And as fate would have it, there is another alchemist who is treading where he should not. If you won’t learn from sacrifice, then perhaps you will learn from teaching. Equivalent exchange, as you call it.”**

“What are you talking about?” Ed said, now completely confused.

“ **Balance must be restored,”** Truth said, unhelpful as usual.  **“In both worlds.”**

Ed started, getting pulled back towards the gate.

“Wait!” Ed said desperately, fighting the pull. “What about Al? Is he still here? Is he still alive?”

Truth simply grinned and faded from sight. Behind it, there was suddenly a door, another gate and sitting in front of it was a thin emaciated form. Familiar.

“Al!” Ed scrambled to reach him. “Come on. Come with me! Al!  _ Al!” _

The body didn’t seem to hear him, and Ed fought the tide harder even as the door closed. He clawed his way back, pushing through for an instant.

“Al!” he screamed. “I’ll come back for you! Just you wait! I’ll be back!”

The door slammed again, and this time Ed sunk back into the mire of hands and alchemy, information spilling through his head, strange and complex, but different from the other times he’d been here. Spirits and elements, war and the bloodshed of innocents. Power without circles.

Ed blacked out, overwhelmed by the assault on his mind.

* * *

When he woke, he found himself on a strange island. He was instantly reminded of his training with Teacher, though this island didn’t seem to have plant life. The ground beneath him was black obsidian. Volcanic rock. Even though it had been night when he’d entered Gluttony’s stomach, here it was day and the air smelled like the sea. Amestris didn’t border any seas.

So where the fuck was he?

At his side was a boy who, while not quite as worse for wear as Ed (his arm and ribs were still broken and his head was still bandaged), looked exhausted and smelled strongly of sewage. He was blinking awake and looking around, equally as confused.

In front of them was a dumb-looking bastard with the worst hair he’d ever seen. Shaved completely except for a small square of hair that was pulled back into a tight ponytail. He was scowling and looking at them with unconcealed irritation and confusion. His face was scarred around the eye and it looked painful, but that type of scarring was a familiar feature of the Ishvalan refugees he’d met. He wore red and black armour that seemed archaic and Xing-made. His eyes however were a similar gold to Ed and Al’s, and he glared sharply at them.

He was flanked by an old man and an entire battalion of soldiers in similar armor.

“Uncle, what is the meaning of this? These aren’t spirits! They’re just a bunch of kids!” the teen shouted.

“Hey, who are you calling a kid!? We’re the same age, you dumbass!" Ed shouted back automatically. He stood, swaying slightly from exhaustion but still ready to throw down. “And who the fuck are you!?"

The teen drew up to his full (taller) height and said arrogantly, "I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

Ed snorted. "Yeah, and I'm the last unicorn. Are you the idiot that tried to summon Truth?"

"And cunning," the old man chimed in, somehow in a tone that was both amused and disapproving. The sewage boy gave a small gasp of ‘Oh’. He must have been dragged into this world too. His features were definitely more Xingese, though his eyes were a vivid green that implied he was mixed race. His hair was matted and also seemed almost green, but Ed would blame that on whatever gunk he'd been swimming in. 

Ed turned back to the second annoying prince he'd met recently. "And you thought this was a good idea why!?"

“I need to find the Avatar!” the prince said, apparently not catching Ed's judgemental tone. “The most effective way to find the bridge to the spirit world is summoning spirits.” The old man made a face at that. “But you’re not spirits. You’re just some dirty kids.”

“Rude,” sewage boy said. “We were sent as representatives of the spirits. At leasts what that’s what the Coyote told me. We’re supposed to restore balance between the worlds.” He turned to look at Ed, wearing a nervous expression. “R-right?”

Ed arched an eyebrow. “I don’t know shit about a coyote, but yeah, that’s the basic rundown I got. Also,” he turned back to the ponytail, “You’re a fucking idiot, playing with forces you shouldn’t and it’s gonna bite you in the ass.”

“You can’t talk to me like that,” the prince growled.

“Tough shit, you’re the one who summoned me,” Ed said confrontationally. “If you can’t deal with me, you can send me back and pay the toll yourself.”

“I think,” the old man said gently, “our first concern should be getting you boys cleaned up and fed. I’ll make some jasmine tea. It’s very calming.”

It was then that Ed remembered he was covered in blood, had several broken ribs, his head was bandaged, he was missing a boot, and all he’d eaten recently was said boot. Admittedly not the most impressive look. Add that the other kid smelled like he rolled around in the Central City river, and Ed could see why Prince Ponytail was annoyed that he got them instead of some great and powerful spirits.

“Do what you must,” Prince Ponytail sneered. “I’ll be returning to my cabin. When they are finished bring them to me so we can discuss the Avatar. I refuse to waste the effort it took to summon them. They  _ will _ have to prove themselves useful,  _ or else!” _ He said it like a threat. Ed glared back, unimpressed. The boy that smelled like sewage glanced down and looked very small.

He turned and stalked away, posture still angry. Ed pulled one of his eyelbags down and stuck out his tongue at the teens back. The uncle lingered while the rest of the soldiers followed the prince back onto the boat.

“I apologize for my nephew’s disrespect,” the old man said with a bow. He was rotund with a three pointed beard and a bun on the top of his head. His hair was silver and he had kind eyes. But despite this, Ed’s fighting instincts said the man was deceptively strong and dangerous. Someone to be wary of. “You must have had a hard journey through the spirit world to get here.”

“Um-- it’s okay,” the sewage boy said, waving his hands and sounding far too earnest. Despite himself, Ed was immediately reminded of Al. He really missed his brother, and he knew the longer it took to return balance to this world, the longer it would be before he could return and let his brother know he was okay. And he  _ would _ be returning to Al. No asshole prince or ‘spirit of truth’ would stop him. “I- uh- actually just had a bad day before entering the spirit world. And I could… um- I could see why he’d be upset…” he trailed off, and Ed immediately withdrew the comparison to Al. Al wasn’t nearly as nervous or stupid.

“I can guarantee you that my day was worse and weirder,” Ed said immediately, because it was a fact.

“Okay?” the boy said, like he didn’t know how he was supposed to respond to that.

“Well, let’s get you on the ship,” the old man said warmly. “I’d love to hear of your journeys. My name is Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation, but you can just call me Uncle.”

“Oh!” Sewage Boy seemed to realize he hadn’t introduced himself. “I’m Midoriya Izuku. From… uh, Japan? I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of the Fire Nation but i guess this is a different world.” He looked at his feet.

“That’s quite all right,” Iroh said as they walked. “I’ve never heard of Japan either. I’m sure it must be beautiful.”

Midooriya-- Ed was already annoyed about how many syllables that was-- Mido didn’t immediately respond, seeming to get lost in his thoughts.

Ed rubbed his side and gave the kid a break. “I’m Edward Elric. Amestris. I am also feeling impatient. The sooner we get this Avatar business done, the sooner I can let my brother know I’m okay. So let's get this over with.”

He pushed ahead of them. The sun had just set over the horizon.

Ed could tell this was going to be a fucking journey.

**Author's Note:**

> i pulled from navajo mythology for the coyote spirit, sorry if it’s inaccurate in any way, i used wikipedia and some attached links to the article. I’m not really affiliated with navajo culture at all so feel free to educate me.
> 
> I’m not going to fully write this since that would be such a huge undertaking. Instead i’m probably going to shift back and forth between text, like the chapter above, and bullet point storytelling. That way you’ll get the story, but i won’t have to kill myself writing 100 chapters
> 
> yes they'll be visiting the other worlds and stopping the respective wars in them. will be a while yet until then
> 
> Tumblr:  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/serenawitchwriter  
> Discord:  
> https://discord.gg/SEkN8ee


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